Why Your Church Needs Vacation Bible School, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Three, Gods Amazing Conversions Through Dreams and Visions Part Two, Ice Dragon: Legend of the Blue Daisies Movie Review, Phoenix Wilder And The Great Elephant Adventure Movie Review, The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island Movie Review. Capital Punishment Reason 4 God promised Canaan to Abraham and his children. In a recent debate with William Lane Craig, Hitchens exhorted the Christians in the audience, Emancipate yourself from the idea of a celestial dictatorship and youve taken the first step toward becoming free.32, Although Dawkins nowhere endorses sex with animals, he does endorse Princeton atheist and ethicist Peter Singer as an eloquent advocate for our need to become postspeciesist.33 According to Singer, to claim that one species is better than another is to invoke grave implications because, after all, We are animals.This does not make sex across the species barrier normal, or natural, whatever those much-misused words may mean, but it does imply that it ceases to be an offence to our status and dignity as human beings.34. the people of Sodom, surrounded the house, both young and old, the entire populace from every end[of the city]. That we commit similar sins today renders us incapable of appropriate moral outrage against these sins and thus we accuse God of genocide to justify our own sinfulness. God's character, The object of warfare moves from the Canaanites, who are the object of Gods wrath for their sin, to the spiritual powers and principalities, and then finally to the utter destruction of all evil, human and spiritual.[2]. Convention on the Punishment and Prevention of the Crime of Genocide, Article II, University of the West of England, at: www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/. Why would Jesus die for basically good folk? They are dated to somewhere between 2000 and 1500 BC, between the time of Abraham and the Exodus.{7}. They say they refuse to believe in any being that could be so cruel and heartless. Only when one views life through the lens of the Bible can one arrive at a worldview based on truth. However recently an atheist friend told me God was cruel and unloving and used examples from the old testament to prove it. Check your inbox or spam folder to confirm your subscription. Then He says something very Interesting your descendants will come back in the fourth generation, because the sins of the Amorites hasnt been fulfilled. The Amorites in this case are the Canaanites. Inanna/Ishtar, also known as the Queen of Heaven, became the woman among the gods, patron of eroticism and sensuality, of conjugal love as well as adultery, of brides and prostitutes, transvestites and pederasts.10 As University of Helsinki professor Martti Nissinen writes, Sexual contact with a person whose whole life was devoted to the goddess was tantamount to union with the goddess herself.11, The Canaanites even remake the God of the Bible, El, after their own image and portray Him ceremonially as having sex with two women (or goddesses). Not even the children are considered innocent. 10:6; 1 Kings 14:22; 2 Kings 17:10). God had given the Canaanites more than four hundred years of probation, during which He sent prophets and warnings. Would a governor of a state who refuses to pardon a criminal and instead hands him over to the justice system be considered a heartless cruel man? For God does not show favoritism. 6. This was especially true of the Canaanite societies steeped in abominable practices like child sacrifice and cult prostitution. The Canaanites had not completely sinned away their day of grace. Was God just in destroying the Canaanites? Spoiler alert: God did give Canaan a chance to repent. Tremper Longman III, The Case for Spiritual Continuity, in C. S. Cowles, Eugene H. Merrill, Daniel L. Gard, and Tremper Longman III, Show Them No Mercy: Four Views on God and Canaanite Genocide (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2003), 185. The Spirit of God comes on Jephthah, but the military leader's efforts still end in tragedy. 20:1618), lest the Israelites learn the Canaanite ways (Exod. Driving them out wasnt simply a way of making room for Israel. The peoples of the world at His return will be doing the same things that the Canaanites were doing when God gave it to Israel (Revelation 9:20). There are several aspects of Yahweh war. If God didnt mean to kill everyone in nearby cities, then what distinction was being made? Doesnt the new atheists complaint ring hollow, since they are often at the forefront of defending a womans right to suction, dismember, or scald to death her unborn baby at any time and for any reason? We all recognize this when we accuse some authority who presumes to take life as playing GodGod is under no obligation whatsoever to extend my life for another second. One of the problem passages she asked about is "Why does God order, I am a Christian and spend time talking with others often about God, but I have been speechless when they bring up the issue, for example, in I Samuel 15:1-3, Rick Wade served as a Probe research associate for 17 years. In phase one, God fought the flesh-and-blood enemies of Israel. Rick Wade provides a biblically informed perspective of these Old Testament events, looking back at them with a Christian view of history and its significance. The "new atheists" call God's commands to kill the Canaanites "genocide," but a closer look at the horror of the Canaanites' sinfulness, exhibited in rampant idolatry, incest, adultery, child sacrifice, homosexuality, and bestiality, reveals that God's reason for commanding their death was not genocide but capital punishment. Israel had been enslaved in Egypt for 400 years. 12:4, 30, 31). At first, the Israelites tried to compromise and worship God the way the Canaanites worshiped their gods. Though rebellion must be put down and rebels must be punished for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23), God displays mercy for He is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Abraham starts bargaining with God. When God told Abraham He was going to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham pleaded for them, and God agreed in his mercy that if but only ten righteous people were found, He wouldnt do it. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against . 1:5). Far be it from you! For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. Much of what follows is horrific, but if we refuse to look, will we really understand the reasons for Gods judgment? Lets first frame this question with context. wars instituted by and fought with the, My eldest daughter and I have been discussing portions of the Bible with which she is struggling. Thanks to his obedience unto death, our own sins are forgiven, and we can now stand in Gods favor by faith alone. Probe Ministries is a non-profit ministry whose mission is to assist the church in renewing the minds of believers with a Christian worldview and to equip the church to engage the world for Christ. In phase two, God fought against Israel when it broke its side of its covenant with God (cf. On an individual basis, when a father sinned, his son wasnt to be punished for it. But what about Deuteronomy 24:16 which says that children shall not be put to death because of their fathers sins? First, the Lord's command to enact erem was preceded by a long period of divine patience and longsuffering in the face of Canaanite wickedness (gross forms of idolatry, immorality, and injustice, including the sacrifice of children). Canaanite religion, like that of all of the ANE, was a fertility religion that involved temple sex. Other ungodly acts routinely engaged in by the Canaanites included adultery, bestiality, and homosexuality (Leviticus 18:20-30). 1. What God commanded Israel to do to the Canaanites wasnt genocideit was capital punishment. He can be reached at [emailprotected]. This was Gods judgment carried out on the people of Canaan using the chosen people of Israel. Thus, the Israelites could possibly have married people who werent in the cities when they were attacked. If I can find 50 good people will you spare Sodom God says sure. Like all Ancient Near East (ANE) pantheons, the Canaanite pantheon was incestuous. Parents can corrupt their children.29. The Canaanites, by contrast, were destroyed at the direction of God and primarily because of their sin. Their purity laws pointed to the holiness demanded by God. Consider one basic example of how new atheist rationalizations echo the propensities of Canaanite sin, and indeed, echo the rationalizations of the human heart. OT scholar Tremper Longman summarizes this point well: We must point out that the Bible does not understand the destruction of the men, women, and children of these cities as a slaughter of innocents. Rick Wade provides an expanded discussion of the issues around the Israelites battles against the Canaanites. So for those of us who confess the authority of both the Old and New Testaments, we are faced with a number of challenging questions: How do we reconcile the erem laws with the rest of Scriptures teachings on justice and compassion? Copan, Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites. God has done everything in His power to save the sinner through the plan of redemption (John 3:16). He looks at all things from a infinite perspective than man can. 13-14), but in nearby cities they were to save nothing alive that breathes (v. 16). Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, in his " ", posits that one of the reasons that Sodom was not given the chance to repent was that even their children were wicked. Read them in the archive below. In Deuteronomy 9:4-6, God Himself explains the reason for His command to slaughter the Canaanites. Little of the Canaanites' textual records remain, perhaps because they used papyrus instead of the more durable clay for writing. Abraham decides to bargain again okay, okay but what about if Im 5 people short? Our aim is to share the Word and be true to it. God knows who will or will not repent of his or her sin and if He concludes that all the children would have been similarly corrupted, then He is perfectly right to institute capital punishment. But He said to Abraham that the promise would take a long time to be fulfilled for the iniquity of the Amorites, or the people of Canaan, is not yet full (v. 16). What was to stop it? Before joining Probe Ministries, Rick worked in the ship repair industry in Norfolk, VA. It was merciful for God to allow the Canaanites to remain in the land as long as they did. com; Question and Answer Archive, Question #16). I consider Jesus the be the perfect example of how to be good, Jesus would never hurt anyone. Another observation is that the instruction is frequently to dispossess the Canaanites or move them out rather than to destroy them. For further information or to subscribe to the CHRISTIAN RESEARCH JOURNAL go to: http://www.equip.org/christian-research-journal/. . A more detailed version is also available on our Web site with the title Yahweh War and the Conquest of Canaan. Can these be put together? Every forecast of prophecy of doom came with an implied unless attached to it: If at any time I declare concerning a nation or a kingdom, that I will pluck up and break down and destroy it, and if that nation, concerning which I have spoken, turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I intended to do to it. He blogs at, How J. K. Rowling Played, then Lost, the Polarization Game, GAFCON IV: Lessons from a Communion in Birth Pains, The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly of Christian Nationalism, What to Do When Your Child Is Addicted to Video Games, Radical Christian Gentleness in an Era of Addictive Outrage, The FAQs: Anglican Group Calls on Church of Englands Leader to Repent, Whats the Earliest Evidence for Christianity? In the conquest of Canaan, three goals were being accomplished. 4:26; 7:4). See the Papyrus Chester Beatty III recto (BM10683) from about 1175 BC as referenced in Lise Manniche, For an example of how embarrassing and dangerous this could be, see Robert M. Yerkes, The Mind of the Gorilla: Part III. God, as judge, used Israel to carry out His judgment on these people. Lev. Bring biblical wisdom to the confusing issues across the world by making a gift to our international work. All rights reserved. However, the city repented, turned to God, and God did not judge them. Kyle, Canaan, in The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, James Orr, ed. 15:5). Dr. Michael Gleghorn draws on a work by Dr. Gail R. O'Day, "Jesus as Friend in the Gospel of John," to explore the perspective of Jesus Christ as a Friend. The Canaanites were grossly sinful people who were given plenty of time by God to change their ways. 1 (2008): 7-37; www.epsociety.org/library/articles.asp?pid=45. He begins with the Christian worldview and Rick Wade explores the meaning of the word defense in 1 Peter 3:15, suggesting that all Christians can do Rick Wade provides an expanded discussion of the issues around the Israelites battles against the Canaanites. 32:4; Colossians 3:25; etc.). 11. Please make sure all fields are filled out. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Yahweh has made it clear that He is willing to relent in His judgment if a nation repents of its sins and changes its ways ( Jer. Previous post: 10 Biblical Steps Towards Restoration After Sexual Sin, Next post: Baptism Quotes: 27 Inspirational Christian Sayings. Looking a four outcomes of the resurrection, Dr. Zukeran shows us that the greatest defense of the deity of Jesus was made by Jesus Himself. William Lane Craig reminds us God is not subject to our judgment of His actions; He has no moral obligations except to Himself. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1974), 550. However, if we properly understand the whole picture we will be able to view God 's actions as full of mercy and fairness in His dealings with His children. Real Answers. The second goal of the conquest was the judgment of the Canaanites. But instead of repenting when things went badly, they concluded that their misfortune was because they stopped burning incense to the Queen of Heaven, Inanna/Ishtar (Jer. When a community sins, there are consequences for every member of the population, even children. 7. Christians believe that all authority belongs to God (Matthew 28:18, Romans 13:1, Colossians 2:10). Similarly, the southern tribes (usually referred to as Judah) were deported when Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem beginning in 586 BC. God had warned them against that (Deut. He points out how Yahweh Wars, i.e. However, it is crucial to note that in the same passage, God declares the Israelites no less wicked than the Canaanites, deserving the same fate: 10 Biblical Steps Towards Restoration After Sexual Sin, Baptism Quotes: 27 Inspirational Christian Sayings, 25 Encouraging Bible Verses About Strength, Words of Encouragement: 30 Uplifting Quotes. However, if we take the Bible on its own terms, we will recognize that all humans are born guilty and corrupt. 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 2000 For the story of Baal having sex with Asherah, see: El, Ashertu and the Storm-god, trans. Thanks for stopping by! Humans do not have the right to do whatever we want. If you like what you're reading, you can get free daily updates through the RSS feed here. The Deut. 2). As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced ( Deut. Staff. 4:26; 7:4). This document may not be repackaged in any form for sale or resale. Not even 10 righteous people could be found. James B. Pritchard, Harry A. Hoffner, Jr., Incest, Sodomy and Bestiality in the Ancient Near East, in. A book review of In Quest of the Historical Adam: A Biblical and Scientific Exploration by William Lane Craig (Eerdmans, 2021), Let Faith Oust Fact: A Review of The Whale, No Mindful Matter: The Explanatory Failure of Scientific Materialism, Una pregunta que los mormones no pueden responder, Connect with the Christian Research Institute. About UsContact UsPrayer RequestsPrivacy Policy, Latest AnswersBible LessonsBibleAsk LIVEOnline Bible. This is an online articlefrom the Christian Research Journal. The modernistic notion that Melchizedek was merely the "high god" priest of the Canaanites (e.g., Baal), worshipped in pre-Israelite Jerusalem, is absurd (Hicks 1962, 343). Abraham asked the Lord this exact question in Genesis 18 regarding the coming destruction of two Canaanite citiesSodom and Gomorrah: Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked? You shall make no covenant with them and show no mercy to them. (Deut. Maybe this was just an example of Ancient Near Eastern military language.{11}. This again reveals that Gods motive isnt genocide, but capital punishment. Skeptics have claimed that God was unjust when He ordained Israel to destroy the Canaanites. The apostle Paul described this spiritual warfare in Ephesians 6:12: Forwe do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but againstthe rulers, against the authorities, againstthe cosmic powers overthis present darkness, againstthe spiritual forces of evilin the heavenly places. The battle may be fierce, but we remain confident that Gods justice will ultimately prevail. The Canaanites were an evil, depraved people who had to be judged to fulfill the demands of justice. A biblical example of this would be Gods treatment of the city of Nineveh. 11:31; Jas. Because of such things, biologist and prominent atheist Richard Dawkins describes God as a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser . When the LORD your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, and clears away many nations before you, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Amorites, the Canaanites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, seven nations more numerous and mightier than you, and when the LORD your God gives them over to you, and you defeat them, then you must devote them to complete destruction. However, once the biblical doctrines of God and of sin are taken into consideration, the background scenery changes and the picture looks very different. This news had terrified the city of Jericho and Rahab had put her faith in God (Joshua 2:10-14). The Canaanites had hundreds of years to either repent and follow God or to reject Him and follow idols and false Gods. In phase four there was a major change. See Paul Copan, Yahweh Wars and the Canaanites, Philosophia Christi 11, no. Yahweh wars are battles recorded in Scripture that are prompted by God for His purposes and won by His power.{4}. Then they would simply abandon worship of the true God. In the old testament God tells Joshua to kill all the Canaanites, including women and children. There were absolutely no prohibitions against bestiality in the rest of the ANE.21 In fact, in an Egyptian dream book it was a bad omen for a woman to dream about embracing her husband, but good things would happen if she dreamed of intercourse with a baboon, wolf, or he-goat.22 In short, their sexual fantasies involved everything that breathes. The people have rebelled against God and spend 40 years in the desert. Many people take issue with the idea that God commanded the Jewish nation to initiate war against the Canaanites, ordering them to wipe them out and take their land for their own. But God has no such prohibition. As a result, they eventually received the same judgment the Canaanites experienced (Deut. Because of that advance warning, it is possible that some people abandoned their cities. God promised Abraham (Genesis 15), that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan. They are all part of an inherently wicked culture that, if allowed to live, would morally and theologically pollute the people of Israel.[1]. A special thanks to Joseph Gorra for his many helpful suggestions and to my wife, Jean E. Jones, for her extensive reading of ANE primary and secondary sources and for years ago explaining to me much of the Old Testament. If Jesus had died to redeem humankind prior to humankinds comprehending the depth of their sin, then people would question the need for Jesus death. In Deuteronomy 20:16, Moses said the Israelites were to save alive nothing that breathes in the cities in their new land. Idolatry. 14. 9. 23:33; Deut. The third goal of the conquest was the protection of Israel. Imagine the teenage rebellion in those households! (2) Yahwehs command to kill the Canaanites was an act of divine genocide. Permission is granted to use in digital or printed form so long as it is circulated without charge, and in its entirety. God was patient with the Canaanites Keil and F. Delitzsch, trans., James Martin, Commentary on the Old Testament, vol. The evidence says no. Wouldnt that be a more merciful thing to do? Shedding light on this question will actually show that God is merciful and good. After all, he spoke approvingly of the destruction of Sodom, a pagan city that also included men, women, and children (Luke 17:28-29). Sue Bohlin processes how she is handling the crisis of tongue cancer by trusting Gods goodness. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); IGRG: Did God Give The Canaanites aChance. 18:28; Deut 4:2329, 8:1920). They were fully aware that God had chosen Israel to be a tool in His hands in bringing judgement to the nations. If they had sex with just about every living thing they could get their hands on, and they did, then all had to die. However, the verses that follow, namely verses 16-18, disallowed the same offer to be given to Canaan. The victims were not only infants; children as old as four were sacrificed.15 Kleitarchos reported that as the flame burning the child surrounded the body, the limbs would shrivel up and the mouth would appear to grin as if laughing, until it was shrunk enough to slip into the cauldron.16, Homosexuality. In our pluralistic age, its easy to forget what an offense that is to the true God. God did not just decide to command the Israelites to destroy all the inhabitants of Canaan simply because he promised Abraham that his descendants would inherit it; he commanded them to do it because the Canaanites were wicked, evil, sinful people. What place should they have in our preaching and practice? There are many nations and peoples called wicked or evil and then destroyed in the Bible including Canaan, Hittites, Giggahites, Amorites, Pharaoh and his people, Sodom and Gommorah. 13. If you feel an answer is not 100% Bible based, then leave a comment, and we'll be sure to review it. Kerby Anderson provides an overview of wokeness, critical race theory, and their effect on the Christian church. Their authority is based on the current societal perception of morality. Part of the goal of this essay is to offer evidence to show that God had good reason to command Israel to kill the Canaanites. This is an online Viewpoint articlefrom theChristian Research Journal. 12:4, 30, 31). He gets no pleasure in the death of anyone. In the worship of their gods, the Canaanites committed other evils. And how are Christians supposed to apply the erem laws today? How could the Canaanites have that much influence over the Israelites? Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. But you can send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap. These nations were cut off to prevent the corruption of Israel and the rest of the world (Deuteronomy 20:16-18). in communications (radio broadcasting) from Moody Bible Institute, an M.A. Although these laws express Gods judgment, they also show us Gods mercy in several important ways: Now that Christ has come, the way in which we understand and apply theeremlaws has radically transformed. Here are a few factors to take into consideration: First, the sins of parents, just like their successes, have an impact on their children. Heres why. But the war is not over. Long after the conquest of the land, when God decided He would have to destroy Moab, according to Isaiah God wept bitterly over her cities (Isa. Third, if one holds that there is an age of accountability for children, and that those younger than that are received into heaven with God at their death, although the means of death were frightful and harsh, the Canaanite childrens experience after death would be better than if theyd continued to live among such a sinful people. In Genesis 15:16 the LORD made reference to the Canaanites when he said, "the sin of the Amorites (Canaanites) has not yet reached its full measure." God was waiting to fulfill his justice against this people. Such a complaint usually masks an unspoken premise: God shouldnt have killed the children because that wouldnt give them the chance to reject Canaanite sin. Concerning sexual desire, Dawkins questions why evangelical Christians are so obsessed with private sexual inclinations.30 The apparently not obsessed Christopher Hitchens considers dangerous sexual repression so serious that he calls it one of the four irreducible objections to religious faith.31 Dawkins and Hitchens are not just encouraging a sort of sexual libertarianism per se. If God is so merciful and loving, why didnt God just assimilate Israel into Canaan instead of driving them out? It doesnt stop there. Later when Israel disobeys God and allows the Canaanites to continue to live among them, the corruptive and seductive power of Canaanite sin results in the Canaanization of Israel. They are insisting that God and Christianity are in fact poisonous and must diligently be resisted and defeated. M.G. Bestiality. Copyright 2023 The Gospel Coalition, INC. All Rights Reserved. God had decided to judge Nineveh because they were evil (Jonah 1:2). the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places (6:12). Paul Copan, How Could a Loving God Command Genocide, in Thats Just Your Interpretation (Grand Rapid: Baker, 2001), 165. Before He redeemed humankind, He needed to unambiguously demonstrate what exactly He was redeeming them from: a blatant and unrestrained evil that resulted in a worthless, nasty, and cruel existence. {8} In addition, the Israelites would be tempted to imitate Canaanite religious rituals because of their close connection to agricultural rhythms.

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